Crossfire
by CGT
Summary: When a normal case goes horribly wrong, rookie officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are caught in the crossfire.
1. Chapter 1

Nick Wilde's eyes shot open. His arm flailed wildly as he tried to find the snooze button on the alarm clock before he was fully awake. His paw finally connecting with the small clock and the incessant buzzing immediately stopped. Nick sat up in bed with a groan and glanced around the darkened apartment, letting his eyes quickly adjust to the lack of light this early in the morning. He glanced over to the alarm clock and noted the time.

 _5:30 AM._

Nick let himself wake up for several more seconds before throwing the sheets off of himself and scampering over to the closet and getting ready for another day's work. In his previous line of work he had to have a measure of discipline to wake up at a decent hour, but he was still adjusting to waking up this early every day.

 _But, hey, "Justice never rests!"_

A smile crawled over his face as he recalled the innumerable times his partner had said that when he complained about being tired. The small bunny always seemed to a fountain of energy to the point it was almost sickening, but at least it made each day interesting. Today was unlikely to any different.

Nick fastened his tie and checked his appearance in the mirror one last time before he headed to the door. He had just placed his paw in the doorknob when he realized that nearly forgot his aviator sunglasses that were resting on the nightstand next the bed. Nick dashed across the small room, grabbed the glasses, and let them hang out of his shirt pocket. He headed back to the door and threw it open in one swift motion and stepped out-

"Morning, partner!"

It took all of Nick's willpower to keep his mouth shut and not wake up the other inhabitants of the apartment with a shriek that would've broken glass. The fox stood motionless for several seconds to let his brain register the situation. Judy Hopps stood just outside his door with a massive grin on her face and a cup of coffee in her outstretched paw.

"Wha... What are you doing here?" Nick whispered.

"I woke up...," Judy began in her normal volume. Nick immediately shushed her and put a finger to his lips. Her ears, which had been pointed straight up, turned down past her shoulders.

"Oh, sorry," Judy continued in a hushed but still excited tone. "What I was going to say was, I woke up a little early today and thought I would get my partner his morning coffee!" She held out the cup once again with a massive grin on her face. Nick accepted with a small smile.

"Aw, that's real sweet, Carrots," Nick whispered as he raised the cup to his lips, "But you nearly woke up the entire complex to do so." Nick gave the bunny a playful slap on the back as he headed toward the elevator.

* * *

Nick and Judy walked through the main doors of the ZPD. Activity was already bustling as other police officers finished morning activities before morning roll call. Judy normally stopped by Clawhauser's desk to chat for a few minutes, but this morning Clawhauser was preoccupied with a wolf officer who was seeking some information so Judy and Nick continued toward the bullpen.

As they walked by, Nick looked over the wolf standing next to the desk. The massive figure looked like any of other wolves in the ZPD's employ, but the uniform caught Nick's eye. The heavy body armor and jet black tactical vest gave away the officer's identity even more than the white letters on his back.

 _SWAT._

Nick eyed the uniform with envy as he and Judy walked through the door to the bullpen. SWAT was the Special Weapons And Tactics unit. They were the ones called into situations that were deemed to dangerous for standard police officers. Nick always felt a little jealous of those guys, more for the uniforms than anything else. He already did some things of which those SWAT guys could only dream.

 _When was the last time they got shot out of pipe over a waterfall_ _?_

Nick climbed up on the seat in the front row of desks as Hopps climbed up next to him. The morning meeting was nothing special. Chief Bogo called everyone to order and went over the standard updates for the day. There were a few reports of disorderly conduct and a single report of a stolen car: nothing too serious.

Bogo then began divvying out the daily assignments. Several officers were sent on standard patrols while the rest were assigned to som e office jobs. Nick let out a silent sigh. He never was a fan of paperwork.

"Officer Wilde. Officer Hopps," Chief Bogo's voice snapped Nick out of his silent celebration. "The stolen vehicle is a white 2007 Impala." Realization flooded Nick's mind as he realized what their assignment would be. "It was last seen on the corner of 5th and 7th in Tundratown. Try to get leads on where it might be now." With those words, Bogo handed the pair the case file and left the room. Nick flipped through the folder in his hands. There wasn't much to go on.

"Well, let's hit the road!" Judy's voice snapped into Nick's mind.

"Ladies first," Nick replied with a mock bow. Judy simply rolled her eyes and bounded out of the room.

* * *

Nick's eyes shifted back and forth. With no known witnesses, both he and Judy knew that chances of actually finding the missing car was slim as there were literally no leads. Now the two officers were driving through the outskirts of Tundratown, hoping to see some clue.

Nick knew that there were some shifty creatures who operated chop shops out of this area, but they changed locations so often that even Nick couldn't be sure where to find them.

"Oh, this is hopeless. We're never gonna it at this rate," Judy grumbled. Nick let out a small laugh.

"Aw, what's the matter? What happened to all that optimism?" Nick responded sarcastically. Judy shot Nick a stern look.

"Hey, at least before I had _a_ lead: you. Now we're running on sheer dumb luck!" Nick could feel the tension in her voice.

"Whoa there, Carrots, never underestimate the power of sheer dumb luck," Nick said. "I never would have gotten this far without dumb lu..." Nick's voice trailed off. "Carrots, stop the car." Judy slammed the breaks and sent Nick's head slamming into the dashboard. "Ow!"

"Sorry," Judy replied with a sheepish grin. "What is it?" she asked while she glanced around the snowy environment.

"Over there, parking lot," Nick answered while rubbing his sore forehead. Judy's eyes locked on the white Impala sitting across the street in the parking lot of the First National Tundra Bank. She quickly read the license plate.

"Nick, the plates match," Judy whispered. "YES!" Her voice suddenly shifted to a much higher volume. "Call it in to Clawhauser. We need another unit over here." Nick sat up in the seat had grabbed the radio on his belt. He had just pressed the button when Judy gripped his arm tightly. Nick looked up at the car. The doors were opening.

Nick released the button on his radio as he saw the pair of figures step out. They looked like were wolves, but it was impossible to know for sure, due to the black ski masks covering their faces. The two masked animals moved toward the front door of the bank and Nick thought he saw type of weapon, but he couldn't be sure. Judy's ear's turned downward. He felt his stomach turn.

"Well, today just got interesting."


	2. Chapter 2

Judy fumbled with the radio in her hand, her brain running to remember the correct procedures and codes for this type situation. She slowly pressed the button.

"This is Officers Hopps and Wilde, requesting assistance. We have a possible 2-11 in progress at the First National Tundra Bank." Judy turned to Nick. "Hey Nick, did you see..." Suddenly, a loud noise caught her attention. A loud, staccato popping sound that was muffled by the walls of the bank across the street. Judy's heart sank to the pit of her stomach.

 _Oh, no._

"We have shots fired!" Judy almost shouted into the radio. It took all her strength not to rush over. She turned back Nick. "Nick, try to get people out of the area." The fox replied with a quick salute before he scampered off. Judy turned her attention back to the bank. The gunfire had stopped, but that was little consolation. Any number of innocent animals could be hurt inside, and there was nothing she could do about it. The radio crackled to life in her hand.

"Officer Hopps, Officers Mchorn and Delgato responding Code 3," the rhino's voice came over the net.

"No! No sirens. I don't think the suspects know we are here. Block off track to the South of the bank, we have the North side covered," Judy shot back. Hopefully they could surprise these guys into surrender.

 _But... just in case..._

"Officer Clawhauser, Officer Hopps is requesting SWAT to be put on standby," Judy said into the radio.

"Copy that, Officer Hopps. SWAT is being put on standby alert," the cheetah replied.

"Hey Carrots," Nick walked up behind Judy. Judy turned around and was greeted by the sight of her partner standing beside a scared-looking sheep. "She said she saw the guys go in the bank." Judy turned her attention to the sheep and pulled her notepad from her belt.

"Ok, mam, just tell me everything you remember," Judy said in as reassuring a tone as she could muster. The sheep nervously stammered out her response.

"I... I saw these two guys go into the bank."

"Ok, so there were two of them?" Judy tried to clarify.

"Well, now that you say it, there might have been three of them," the sheep answered.

"So, can you remember what weapon's they had?" Judy asked, hoping to keep the annoyance out of her voice. She could see the grin forming on Nick's face.

"Oh, they didn't have any weapons, I'm sure of that!" the sheep answered back enthusiastically.

 _Well, this isn't going anywhere._

"Well, I think that's all we need. Thank you so much for your cooperation," Judy replied, keeping as much of the sarcasm out of her voice as possible. "Now if you please, could you please vacate the area." The sheep nodded and began to walk away.

"Well, at least you can admire that she wanted to help," Nick quipped before turning his attention back to the bank. "How long do think they'll be in there, Carrots?"

"Depends on if they see us or not. If they see us before leave the bank, they'll stay inside and take hostages and then SWAT'll have to deal with it," Judy replied. "Hopefully, they'll come out, throw the money down and surrender and we can end this thing before lunch."

"Amen to that, Carrots," Nick sighed. A quiet clicking sound suddenly caught her attention and her ears began to twitch. Nick noticed. "What is it?"

"The front door of the bank is opening," Judy nearly whispered.

 _Here we go._

She pulled a small gun from her belt and pointed it toward the door as Nick did the same. The pair looked in awe as a single figure stepped out from the from door of the bank. He was still to far out of range for any weapons, but Judy could now see the suspect in detail. His outline appeared to be that of a wolf, though his facial features were obscured by a ski mask and his body was covered in a heavy black jacket and thick black pants. He carried a heavy machine gun in his gloved paws, no doubt the source of the gunfire heard earlier.

The wolf scanned the road that was now blocked by police cars and locked eyes with Judy. Seconds felt like hours waiting for the figure to surrender. Judy silently prayed that the suspect had an ounce of common sense. Suddenly, the wolf turned and slowly walked back into the bank.

"Huh, so it's the hostage taking option then?" Nick asked. Judy nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so...," Judy replied as she reached for her radio. "Be advised, the suspects know we are here. I am requesting SWAT for a possible hostage situation."

"So, what now?" Nick whispered.

"We wait here for SWAT and make sure no one leaves the bank," Judy replied.

"Oh, so much fun," Nick sighed. Suddenly, Judy's ears shot back up.

"Nick, the door's opening again," Judy said trying to hide the concern in her voice.

"What could he want now?" Nick barely had time to finish the sentence before the windshield on their police cruiser exploded under a hail of bullets. Both Nick and Judy fell to the ground, surrounded by shards of glass. Judy scrambled for her radio.

"Shots fired! Shots fired! Officer needs help!"


	3. Chapter 3

Nick wished he was anywhere but here. He curled up in as small as ball as he could behind their police cruiser and silently prayed while he kept his eyes closed. The whole vehicle rocked and shuddered with each bullet that struck it. The loud staccato bursts echoed across the street.

"Officers need help! We are pinned down by automatic gunfire! Everybody stay down!" Judy shouted into her radio. Calls from other patrol officers who were now starting to respond to the situation began to pour in.

"Suspects are armed and extremely dangero-" Officer McHorn's booming voice suddenly stopped short over the radio, only to come back seconds later, audibly weaker. "Officer down."

Nick's eyes shot open as he heard Judy gasp. Nick immediately noticed that they weren't being shot at anymore.

 _They're shooting at the other officers now._

Seizing the opportunity, Nick peeked around the corner of the car and saw their attacker. The black-clad wolf brazenly stood in the open firing burst after burst in all directions.

"Hey, Carrots, weren't there two of these guys?" Nick asked, looking at his partner.

"At the least, yeah," Judy answered.

"Well, we're only dealing with one of them now," Nick replied dryly.

"What?" Judy moved over to peek around the corner. "What, is the other one still in bank?"

"I think-" Nick didn't have time to answer when the attacker shifted his aim back to Judy and Nick's cruiser. Asphalt kicked up as bullets ripped through the ground and glass showered them from what was left of the windows in the car. A high pitched whizzing sound filled the air as bullets flew overhead.

A ear-splitting pop and what felt like a massive gust of wind hit Nick's ears and face. He looked at what used to be the tire of his police car that was only inches away from him. It was now in shreds after several bullets had flown through it in rapid succession. The car sagged down several inches.

"Carrots, what's the ETA on SWAT?" Nick asked in between pants.

"This is Officer Hopps, what is the ETA on SWAT," Judy shouted over the radio.

"Officer Hopps, SWAT ETA is ten minutes," came the answer. Judy didn't reply, but Nick could see anger on the rabbit's face.

"What, so we have to sit her and get shot at for ten minutes!?" Nick could hear the frustration in her voice. He also saw her reaching for the gun on her belt.

"Carrots, he's too far away!" Nick shouted.

"We have to try!" Judy pleaded back. "If we don't try, innocent people will die."

"Huh, that rhymed," Nick murmured under his breath.

"Not the time, Nick," Judy shot back as she popped up from cover and fired three rounds. Nick knew they wouldn't do much good. The weapons he and Judy carried were too under-powered to be effective at this range. The bigger guns just had too much recoil for the smaller mammals to use safely. Judy ducked back behind the car as another salvo of gunfire answered her shots.

"Told you it wouldn't work," Nick nearly shouted at the bunny.

"Nick, try to get the shotgun from the trunk," Judy shot back.

"Wait, that's way too big for us!" Nick argued.

"It's the only shot we have!" Judy pleaded once again. Nick's mind raced but he knew his partner was right. The suspect had once again shifted his attention away from Hopps' and Wilde's car and was beginning to target the other officers arriving at the scene.

Judy opened door to the car and pressed the button that opened the trunk. Nick lifted the trunk and swiftly grabbed the large weapon resting inside. The motion of the trunk lifting attracted yet another volley from the gunman. Nick began to quickly load the shotgun.

"How much ammo does this guy have?!" He asked in astonishment. With the gun loaded, Nick and Judy waited for the shooting to shift targets yet again. Once it did, Judy grabbed the barrel and hoisted it onto the hood of the car while Nick to aim.

"You'll only have one shot at this!" Judy shouted.

"Thanks for the reminder," Nick mumbled. He aimed down the barrel and placed the wolf in the sights. The suspect was facing away from Nick, shooting at a police car that had just arrived. Nick slowly squeezed the trigger, firing the gun and sending the fox flying back, hitting the pavement hard.

"Nick, are you okay," Judy asked. He nodded and despite the pain in the back of his head from slamming into the pavement, Nick got to his feet to see the result of his shot. The wolf was still standing, but was doubled over. Nick could see several holes the suspect's jacket from the shotgun spread.

 _Got 'em. But, shouldn't he be on the ground?_

The wolf suddenly stood to full height, seemingly uninjured. He turned and looked in Nick's direction, locking eyes with the fox.

"Oh, not fair..." Nick whispered. He only saw the suspect raise the gun again before he dove back for cover behind the car. Another barrage of fire slammed into vehicle.

"What happened!?" Judy shouted over the thumping sound of the bullets.

"I... I don't know! It didn't do anything to him!" Nick shouted back.

"Agh, he must be wearing some kind of body armor," Judy said.

"What kind of bank robbers are these guys!" Nick shouted, more to himself than anyone else. As he spoke, the air suddenly fell silent and the echoes of the gunshots faded away. Both Nick and Judy waited several seconds before they peeked out from behind the car. The suspect was nowhere to be seen. Nick and Judy looked at each other.

"Did he go back inside?" Nick asked.

"I guess he did," Judy replied.

"Well, now what?" The words had barely left Nick's mouth when the door of the bank opened again. Both Nick and Judy instinctively ducked closer to the car, but still watched to see what was about to happen.

The wolf appeared yet again, carrying one end of a duffle bag that appeared to weighed down with money. Nick's heart sank when he saw the figure holding the other end of the heavy bag.

 _Oh, now there's two of them._


	4. Chapter 4

The air once again rang with the sound of gunfire. With the first wolf providing covering fire, the two suspects began to slowly move to their vehicle. The second wolf dragged the bag of money with one hand while indiscriminately firing his machine gun with the other. Nick and Judy could only watch and pray a bullet didn't fly in their direction.

"All officers, _do not_ attempt to confront them," Chief Bogo's voice boomed over the radio. "The suspects have automatic and weapons and heavy body armor. There's nothing we have that can stop them. Wait for SWAT." The massive gunfight had called nearly all available unit to the scene, but the swelling number of officers could still do nothing to stop the two heavily armed suspect. "SWAT ETA two minutes," Bogo added.

 _They're gonna get away_ _._

Judy continued to listen to the radio chatter. Some officers had managed to get to Officer McHorn's position and get him to safety. He was hit bad but initial reports looked good as he was transported to the nearest hospital. A few other officers had already sustained minor injuries but had decided to stay and attempt to contain the two thieves as they moved to their getaway car.

Judy then noticed a whiff of smoke coming from the duffle bag.

"Oh, no. Not good," Nick whispered.

"What? What is it?" Judy asked.

"See that smoke?" Nick pointed to the bag. Judy nodded in response. "Most banks have stacks of cash that have dye packs inside. Get too far from the door, and the packs explode covering all the money in ink, then you can't use it." Judy shot him a questioning look. "Don't ask me how I know that."

"Either way," Nick continued, "Everything these guys have fought for is now covered in ink. They're either going to leave now or we are objectively screwed." Judy looked back toward the pair of black-clad suspects. The two had now noticed the ink-stained duffle bag and were engaged in an argument.

It was such a surreal scene to see the two dark figures standing out in the open, bullets from the police units kicking up snow and asphalt around them. They didn't even seem to care. How could any animal act like that, so nonchalant about life and death?

The two wolves suddenly dropped the bag and both raised their weapons and began firing again with a renewed vigor. Judy could only duck back behind her car as bullets slammed into it.

"Well, looks like we're objectively screwed!" Nick said over the thuds.

"Not the time, Nick!" Judy shouted back.

"Please somebody help me!" A single voice broke through the thundering gunfire. Judy's ear perked up at the sound. Peeking around the corner of her police cruiser, Judy could just make out the shape of a sheep huddled behind a tree across the street. The same side of the street as two extremely violent gunmen. The wolves were also moving slowly toward the tree as they continued to fire randomly at all available targets.

 _Oh, great, it's the sheep from before. Why didn't she leave?_

"Nick, we got a civilian in harms way," Judy said as she readied herself to run.

"Carrots, whatever you're thinking, stop thinking it," Nick said, worry noticeably creeping into his voice.

" _Protect_ and serve, Nick. I have to help," Judy replied, checking to see if the coast was relatively clear.

"Not without me..." Nick answered defiantly and he began to ready himself.

"No, we'll attract too much attention together," Judy pleaded, turning to face him. "Stay here."

"Remember what they said at the academy? _Never_ leave your partner." Nick's face turned to an expression far more serious than usual. "Judy, I'm going with you. It's not a discussion. _"_

Judy knew that there was no way to convince the fox of anything else. She silently nodded in response. She turned back to the tree. Waiting for a lull in the gunfire, Judy's mind raced. Images of her family and home flashed through her mind; images of the friends she'd made at the ZPD; images her best friend, the fox standing behind her. The air became quiet for a brief moment.

 _Now or never._

"Now!" Judy shouted as she bolted from cover. Her legs burned as she pushed them farther than she ever had before. She had only made it several before a hail of bullets once again struck their car. Despite her focus forward, she could hear the unmistakable sound of Nick gasping in pain. She wanted to stop; to turn around and go back, but all her instincts told her it was safer to keep running forward.

Judy closed the distance quickly, but she could feel the shards of broken asphalt strike her legs as she ran like needles. Bullets whizzed by her head, so close she could feel the wind against her fur.

 _So close._

Only a few yards from the tree and the sheep crouched behind it, Judy suddenly felt a sharp pain in her right leg, like someone had hit her with a sledgehammer. Coupled with the pain, the loss of balance sent Judy sprawling on the pavement. She quickly regained her senses, but a strong feeling of lightheadedness began to overtake her. The tree was only feet away and Judy began to grasp at the snow and dirt, trying to pull herself to safety before she passed out. Even as bullets flew past, she managed to get to the tree just as consciousness began to leave her body.

 _You left your partner. Nick..._


	5. Chapter 5

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

Nick grasped his left leg while he shuffled back to cover behind the car. He had only taken a few steps from cover when gunfire had erupted around them again. Pain like a thousand needles had shot through his leg. He should have kept trying to run, to stay with his partner, but he inside fell back behind cover.

Nick looked at his leg. The would was only a graze, but it hurt like you wouldn't believe. He only had time to glance at his would when the form of his partner caught his eye. Judy was still running full speed toward the tree, bullets sparking and kicking up asphalt at her feet.

 _She's gonna make it!_

Just as the thought crossed his mind, Judy fell. Nick's heart fell to the pit of his stomach as he caught a glimpse of a red liquid that now stained his partner's right leg. He was unable to do anything but watch as Judy crawled to the relative safety of the tree, bullets slamming into it and sending pieces of bark flying.

Nick grabbed his radio while he forced himself to his feet, forcing the pain out of his mind.

"Officer down! Officer down! Officer Hopps is hit!" Nick yelled into the radio. Even as he spoke, he knew no one could help. Judy was far too close to the two gunmen and no one would be able to get close without being exposed to deadly fire.

The two wolves had reached their car that was situated the parking lot to the side of the bank. The tree Judy had taken cover behind was maybe only 30 yards away. Nick watched the two gunmen communicate briefly with each other before they continued to fire at police.

"Shoot the tires! Shoot the tires!" an officer shouted over the radio. Nick raised his own gun at started to fire at the gunmen's car. Even as he fired, his eyes darted over to where Judy lay behind the tree. She wasn't moving. Worry started to creep into his mind.

His thoughts were interrupted when one of the wolves suddenly jerked and began to limp and attempt to keep pressure off of his right foot. One of the officers had found a chink in the suspect's armor. The wounded wolf limped to the car and sat inside. He motioned to his partner, clearly wanting to leave. His partner, however, seemed to have other ideas.

The remaining suspect moved the trunk of the car and opened it. Nick silented prayed the gun was going to put his weapon away and was elated to see the wolf unsling his weapon and place it in the trunk of the car. Nick's heart sank only seconds later when the wolf retrieved another gun, one that looked even bigger than the machine guns the pair had been using previously.

The suspect's weapon boomed across the street, the bullets passing straight through cars parked nearby.

 _How many guns do these guys have!?_

Nick waited for a break in the gunfire to pop up and take another shot at the suspect. His radio suddenly crackled to life.

"All units, be advised, SWAT is on scene, preparing to deploy," a new voice said over the radio. Nick could see the black-clad SWAT team pull into a nearby parking lot a good distance from the gunmen's location.

 _Took ya long enough!_

Nick looked back toward his partner. She still hadn't moved. The sheep that was also using the tree as cover seemed to be trying to wake her up. Nick held up his radio and began trying to call her.

"Officer Hopps, come in. Officer Hopps, do you read?" There was no response.

The suspect's car started to back out of the parking spot, the driver still urging his partner to leave. Nick put the radio to his lips.

"Suspect vehicle is moving! Suspect vehicle is moving!" Using the distraction of the bandits to his advantage, Nick left the cover of his his and moved to another car closer to Carrot's location. He had thought of running straight to Carrot's position, but his leg was too injured to run that fast, so he kept his runs short as he dove from vehicle to vehicle.

The pair of gunmen now started to make their getaway. The unijured wolf swapped weapons once again and began to walk alongside the car as his injured partner drove. The volume of gunfire now reduced, with the walking gunman would only fire off a burst ever couple of paces, just enough to keep police pinned down.

Nick was now almost to Judy's location. He peeked around the car he was using for cover and could see Judy clearly. The sheep was tying some cloth bandage around Judy's leg, but Judy herself did not appear to be conscious. She was lying with her back proped up against the tree with her eyes shut. What concerned Nick the most was puddle of blood Judy seemed to be sitting in.

 _Come on, Carrots, stay with me._

Nick was just ablt to dash over to Judy's position when a large armored trucked with the bank's logo printed on the side pulled up, obscuring his view. When the truck left only seconds later, Judy and the sheep were gone. Nick, was taken off guard.

"Be advised, we have commandeered an armored vehicle and we are recovering downed officers," Officer Delgato's voice crackled over the radio. Frustrated, Nick picked up his own radio.

"Might want to inform us of that a little sooner next time, Officer Delgato. You nearly gave me a heart attack." Nick knew he'd catch some flak from Bogo for breaking protocol with that last comment, but Nick didn't care.

With Judy apparently safe, Nick spied a small group of officers gathering at a nearby intersection, getting ready to intercecpt the robbers as they tried to leave the bank. Nick moved toward the officers.

 _Time to end this thing._


	6. Chapter 6

Judy was conscious, well, not totally conscious. She still didn't have the strength to open her eyes or move any of her limbs, but she could hear. She could hear the gunfire echo down the street. She could hear the dull thuds of bullets slamming into the tree she now rested against. She could feel the tree vibrate with each strike. She could feel the dull pain emanating from her right leg.

"Oh, I am so sorry!" A small voice broke through the haze in Judy's mind. Judy recognized the soft voice of the sheep she had talked to earlier, before the world had been turning into a warzone. Judy tried to move her arm, but just couldn't find the energy. All she could manage was a soft groan.

"Oh, thank God you're alive," the voice spoke in response. Judy suddenly felt an intense spike of pain in her leg. Her whole body tensed up.

"I know it hurts, but I need to stop the bleeding." Judy could feel a hand rest on her shoulder to calm her down. The pain started to subside and Judy could feel some type of cloth being wrapped around her leg.

 _I really hope you know what you're doing._

Another bolt of pain shot through Judy's body. Her thoughts once again began to cloud. New metallic sounds entered her ears. She felt her body lift from the ground.

 _This is it. This is how I die..._

She felt a moment of panic, waiting to see what happened next. She suddenly felt her body lie down on a cold, flat metallic surface.

 _What the...?_

Judy struggled to open her eyes, desperate to know where she was. She finally managed to open her eyes a sliver, but the light seemed far more intense than usual. Using every ounce of her strength, Judy forced her eyes open. She blinked rapidly as she started to adjust to her new environment. She was in a large metal box. A large metal box that also seemed to be moving if the vibrations she was feeling were accurate.

"Be advised, we have commandeered an armored vehicle and we are recovering downed officers," Officer Delgato's voice broke the silence in the box. Judy now started to piece together her situation.

"Delgato...," Judy weakly managed. The white wolf kneeled down next to Judy.

"Officer Hopps, you're OK. You're safe now. We're transporting you to the hospital." Judy nodded and tried to move to a sitting position. A hand suddenly stopped her.

"No, no! You need to stay still. If you move, you'll just make it worse," the sheep's voice quietly commanded.

"Wha... What were you still doing out there? I told you to leave," Judy said, trying to keep anger out of her voice. The sheep's eyes immediately looked at the floor.

"I'm so sorry, officer," the sheep began. "I'm a nurse at the hospital. I don't know, I... I thought I could help."

"That makes two of us," Judy replied. The armored car suddenly hit a bump in the road. Judy let out a pained groan. The sheep looked toward the front of the truck.

"Hey, watch where you're driving!" Judy was taken aback as the meek sheep suddenly became angry. The sheep then checked Judy's leg. "If we get to the hospital soon, you'll be just fine, officer," the sheep added with a smile.

"Please, call me Judy," Judy replied through gritted teeth as the sheep checked Judy's wound. "Hey, what's your name?" The sheep looked up from Judy's leg.

"Penny," the sheep replied.

"Well, nice to meet you, Pen..." A crackling in Judy's radio cut off her sentence. Her radio must've been turned off somehow when she was shot. Judy had shifted her weight as she introduced herself to Penny. That motion had turned the radio back on. Judy began listening intensely to the chaotic broadcast.

"One of them's on foot!"

"Hit the tires! Hit the tires!"

"Pull back, pull back! He's getting to close!"

"We're hitting him but he's not going down!"

"Be advised, he may try to hijack another vehicle!"

Judy tried to make sense of the confusing onslaught of frantic messages being sent between officers. She listened intently for Nick's voice, hoping for some indication that her partner was alright. The fox's voice suddenly came through.

"He's right here!" Judy's ears perked up at Nick's report.

 _Get out of there, Nick. Get out of there!_

Calls from all over continued to pour in.

"He's advancing on officers at the corner of 3rd and 5th!"

"Back off and wait for SWAT!"

Suddenly the calls seemed to go quiet for several seconds. Judy prayed as the seconds , waiting for some update.

"Down! Down! Down!"


	7. Chapter 7

Nick positioned himself behind the car as comfortably as he could. As he glanced around at the other officers huddled at the intersection, waiting for the two bandits to come into view, Nick realized that he didn't recognize a single one.

 _These must be guys from other precincts._

"Hey, here they come!" Nick's attention was suddenly drawn ahead. The two bank robbers were just pulling out into the street, one driving the car while the other walked slowly along the sidewalk. All officers including Nick began to fire at the walking suspect, but the rounds did not seem to do much.

To Nick's surprise, however, the gunman showed the first ounce of self-preservation that Nick had seen so far. As bullets flew by, the gunman fired a quick burst in Nick's direction before ducking behind a parked car. Once one gunman was out of sight, the officers around Nick turned their attention to the gunman in the car.

It took only one bullet crashing through the windshield for the driver to depress the accelerator to the floor. The tires screeched as the vehicle began to pick up speed, quickly driving past the waiting police. Time seemed to slow as Nick managed to lock eyes with the suspect as he drove past. He could see the minute details of the wolf's masked face, namely the dark gray fur around the eyes and the deep amber color of the eyes.

"Hit the tires! Hit the tires!" one of the other officers shouted, snapping Nick back to reality. Nick lifted his weapon and began to fire at the retreating vehicle in rapid succession. He could see the bullets find their mark. The car slowed and began to move erratically as the driver struggled for control.

"Pull back, pull back! He's getting too close!" A call came back over the radio, pulling Nick's attention back to the lone suspect who was still on foot. Now alone, Nick feared the suspect would become more irrational.

"We're hitting him but he's not going down!" Another call went over the radio. It wasn't one of the officers with Nick, which meant other units were engaging the suspect from multiple angles. He was distracted and boxed in.

 _Now's our chance._

Nick bolted from cover. Ignoring pleas from the other officers, he quickly began to close the distance between himself and the suspect. He was maybe ten yards away when he saw the suspect clearly for the first time. Still huddled behind a parked car, the suspect was looking the opposite direction as Nick. Nick hurriedly raised his weapon and fired.

None of his shots hit their mark. Nick could see them sparking off the sidewalk and denting the car. The suspect saw them too and turned to see Nick standing in the open. Nick only noticed the barrel of the machine gun raise in his direction before he began running.

Nick held his breath and waited for the ear-splitting barrage of gunfire that was undoubtedly only milliseconds away. He dove back to cover with the other officers just as he realized that the air remained relatively calm. Confused, Nick lifted his head over the car that served as his protection. He had no visual on the suspect.

"He's right here!" Nick called over the radio.

Without warning, the suspect began advancing, fast. Gone was the large machine gun, replaced by a small pistol, a pistol very similar to the ones carried by Nick and his fellow officers. The wolf advanced and raised the weapon, firing a few rounds.

Nick had a lifetime of training in reading body language, and he noticed something very off-putting about the wolf's gait and his total disregard for safety in advancing, outnumbered, toward police. He didn't have time to ponder the suspect's walk when all officers began to fire at the suspect. Nick joined and could see the bullets strike the armor the suspect was wearing. Still, the wolf continued to advance.

 _He's trying to end it._

Nick's realization came just as one of the officers hit the wolf in the hand. The gun dropped from the wolf's paw and clanked against the sidewalk. The wolf slowly bent down to retrieve the weapon. Nick saw the wolf place the gun to his head and looked away. He knew what was coming next.

"Down! Down! Down!" Nick never heard the shot, but he looked up to see the wolf looking more like a heap of black clothes on the sidewalk. "I repeat, suspect is down!" one of the officers finished calling over the radio.

"Move up slowly," a cheetah officer said as the group began to move toward the wolf. Nick approached cautiously. It was such a strange feeling to be this close to someone who had spent the last twenty minutes trying to kill him. Keeping his weapon pointed at the lifeless figure, Nick inched in close and tapped the body with his foot. The other officers placed handcuffs on the suspect before calling over the radio of a cloth to cover the body.

"He got the easy way out. Couldn't live with himself," a lion commented.

"No," Nick interjected. "His partner left him behind." The lion looked at Nick questioningly. "To him," Nick gestured at the body, "He was useless on his own."

A squeal of tires caught the attention of the small group of officers. They looked up to see a single police car flying down the road toward them. Nick immediately noticed the markings.

 _SWAT. They finally get into the action._

The car raced past. Nick realized they were moving to intercept the last remaining suspect, who was still trying to escape in a shot-up car.

"Someone tell that officer to back off! They're getting too close to the suspect!" an officer called over the radio. Clearly someone didn't realize that car was SWAT. Chief Bogo's voice boomed over the radio.

"That's a SWAT unit, they will not back off."

The next sound to reach Nick's ears was a barrage of distant gunfire.


	8. Chapter 8

The lightheadedness was starting to return. Judy lay on the floor of the armored car, putting all of her energy into just staying awake. Despite the amount of blood she had undoubtedly lost, Penny had said that her chances of survival were much higher if she managed to stay conscious until they reached the hospital. With every passing second, the simple task became more and more difficult.

Judy was starting to slip back into unconsciousness when she felt the truck beneath her slow to a stop. She tried to lift her head but the strength doesn't come. The sound of metal clanging greets her ears and a bright light fills the truck. A myriad of voices began to surround Judy, though she couldn't manage to focus on a single voice.

"Hey, watch the leg," Penny's voice broke through.

"OK, ready?" another voice asked, followed by several sounds of affirmation. "OK, three... Two... One... Lift!" Pain once again shot through Judy's body as she felt herself lifted out of the truck and placed on a stretcher waiting outside. As her eyes adjusted to the midday brightness, Judy noticed the walls of Zootopia General Hospital. The stretcher began to be wheeled away by group of doctors, who discussed amongst themselves in terms that were foreign to Judy.

She started slipping back to the blackness when her ears picked up a single voice. Officer Delgato was talking to one of the other nurses by the armored truck. He was talking in a low tone, which would have been enough to for any other animal, but Judy's hearing far outperformed other animals.

"Hey, we're gonna need some cleanup over here," Delgato began, "There's a real mess back there." Judy wondered what the white wolf could mean by that. The pain in her leg was bad, but not that bad, and hadn't Penny stopped the bleeding? Judy managed to lift her head and look at the wound to her leg for the first time.

Even through Penny's hastily tied bandages, Judy could see her leg was in worse shape than she thought. She had only been on the stretcher for mere seconds and a puddle of blood was already starting to form under her leg. The clothing under her bandages was torn and shredded, and the skin underneath that didn't look much better.

Judy only caught a glimpse of her leg before one of the doctors noticed Judy was looking at her injury and gently pushed her head back down onto the stretcher.

The stretcher was now drawn into the hospital and rushed to the nearest available operating room. The stretcher was placed next to the table and Judy was once again lifted onto the cold steel of the operating table. As doctors rushed to a fro, readying for the coming surgery, Judy looked over to her left and caught a glimpse of TV situated just outside her room.

The TV was turned to the news station and, unsurprisingly, the images flashing above the "Breaking News" banner were live shots of the massive gun battle. The helicopters overhead provided a bird's-eye view of what Judy had seen up close. She could see a shot of a shot-up Impala attempting to drive on what appeared to be flat tires, the same white Impala that started this whole thing.

Judy watched as the gunman pulled the beat-up car up to a civilian vehicle that was attempting to travel the opposite direction down the road. The suspect pulled in close to the civilian's car and before the civilian knew what was happening, the gunman had stepped from from his vehicle and pointed the weapon at the driver's face.

Judy let out a sigh when she saw the civilian run away from the suspect unharmed. The suspect had other priorities, it seemed. He stepped into his newly acquired car and attempted to drive away. The vehicle moved only feet before a police car careened into frame. Judy recognized SWAT markings on the vehicle as the gunman attempted to flee and took cover behind the car.

Glass and metal flew as SWAT and the suspect opened fire simultaneously. Judy knew firsthand how intense the gun battle must be, but seeing it from the vantage point of the news helicopter it seemed so inconsequential. The whole ordeal was suddenly reduced to little figures on a small TV screen.

The battle continued to rage for several minutes. Judy put all her focus on the TV, using it to stay awake. The doctors began final preparations but Judy hoped that it took them a few minutes more, wanting to know how the firefight ended. The surgeon placed the anesthesia mask over her face. As the the world started to fade to black, the last thing Judy saw was the suspect's hands raise in surrender.


	9. Chapter 9

Nick rushed forward. The call had just come over the radio that the final suspect had apparently surrendered to SWAT officers and now all available units were moving in to secure the scene. What looked like three cars randomly parked in the middle of a suburban Street quickly evolved into a war zone as Nick got closer.

The SWAT team had already forced the suspect to the ground and was busy checking the vehicles for other possible suspects. Other officers managed to get cuffs on the wolf, but the wolf still wasn't going down easily. Though he had surrendered, the wolf continued to struggle, forcing several of the larger officers to basically stand on him to keep him under control.

Nick moved in close and reached toward the would-be bandit's mask, which still covered his face. In one swift motion, Nick managed to pull the mask off of the suspect. He took a step back and looked at the face of the animal who had turned the quiet street into a firefight.

The wolf's dark gray fur was wet and matted from sweat and blood from a gaze wound the suspect had endured some time during the shootout. Also damp, Nick noted, was the black ski mask in his hand. Nick let the mask drop from his hand while he continued to study the criminal. He then noticed the multiple gunshot to the suspect's legs. The SWAT officers must've seen a gap in the gunman's body armor and managed to exploit that weakness during the short gunfight.

 _No wonder he gave up._

"Just finish it!" The wolf shouted at the group of officers around him, though Nick could hear pain in his voice. "Just finish it and put a bullet in my head!" As he spoke, he started straining against his cuffs. One of the SWAT officers walked up and pressed the barrel of his weapon against the suspect's head.

"Stop moving!" he shouted. Nick looked up at the officer and recognized him from that morning. The wolf still wore his black tactical gear and a black helmet that sat awkwardly on his head with the chin strap unbuckled. Despite the fact that SWAT had taken their sweet time getting into the action, Nick had to admit they did their job well once they actually showed up. The officer looked in Nick's direction.

"Hey, man, you OK?" he asked with a look of concern on his face.

"Well, as good as anyone could be," Nick shrugged in response.

"No, you need to get patched up," The wolf replied. "An ambulance will be here in five." Nick looked down at himself for the first time since the shootout started. His blue uniform now looked more gray, as did his fur, both covered in a fine layer of dirt and both damp with sweat. Little bits of asphalt and chips of glass from his police car were trapped in his fur.

As the adrenaline rush began to subside, a sharp pain began to grow in his left leg. Nick looked down and saw his blood-stained leg. He had nearly forgotten he was even shot, but now the pain had returned and Nick started to move with a pronounced limp.

"Yeah," Nick answered as he winced, "You may be right about that." It wasn't long before Nick climbed into an ambulance that was packed with other injured police officers. After an uncomfortable ride to the hospital, Nick climbed out into the emergency room of the Zootopia General Hospital.

Being one of the few officers with an actually gunshot wound, Nick found himself quickly pushed to the front of the line. Nick was relieved to learn that the injury wasn't nearly as bad as it looked and would only require a few stitches and some pain medication. The doctor told Nick he would back to normal in just a few weeks.

"Hey, Doc, you wouldn't happen to know where my partner is would you?" Nick asked as the doctor finished applying the stitches. The lion looked up questioningly. "Officer Judy Hopps," Nick clarified.

"Oh, yes, she was rushed into surgery. Still there if I'm not mistaken."

"Is there any chance I can see her?" Nick asked. The lion pondered for a few seconds.

"You can go to recovery room three, down the hall, take a left, third door on the right." the doctor said. "Whenever the surgery's over, that's where they'll take her. Though she may not wake up for hours."

"I get that," Nick answered quickly. "I just want to know she's OK." Nick began to stand, but winced when his tried to put pressure on his leg. "Ah... Hey, could I have one of those... things..." Nick said as he pointed toward a pair of crutches in the corner, the word escaping his mind.

"Oh, of course," the doctor answered as he handed Nick the crutches. Nick began to walk out of room, just to stick his head back in.

"Crutches!" he shouted. "Lost the word for a moment there."

Nick hobbled toward recovery room three, remembering the doctor's directions. He suddenly he heard sounds of commotion behind him. Nick slowly turned. A group of doctors rushed down the hall, surrounding a gurney with a body on it.

"Which OR is open?" one of the nurses asked.

"I don't have a pulse!" another added.

As the gurney rolled by, Nick could see the face of the second, now unconscious gunman. It didn't sound good for him. Nick almost felt anger well in his stomach. That wolf had tried to kill him multiple times, ditched his partner to save his own hide, and brought everyone's lives to a screeching halt in mere moments. If he didn't make it, there would be no one left to answer for the morning's carnage. Nick tried to push those thoughts from head as he moved closer to the recovery room and he started going back through the day's events. There would be a mountain of paperwork to do and Nick would need a clear version of events.

Before that, though, he needed to see his partner.


	10. Chapter 10

"Hey, you there?"

Judy's ears twitched as they started registering sound again. Her eyes started to flutter.

"Hey, Bon, she's waking up!" Judy could just recognize her father's voice as her eyes began to adjust to the brightness of the room. She tried to raise her head to look around, but she felt like her body weighed several tons. She tried to focus on her surroundings, but her eyes refused to cooperate.

 _Must be whatever meds they gave me._

"Jude, how ya feelin'?" her father asked. Judy groaned as she tried to move.

"I'll let you know when I can actually feel something again. Whatever they got me on right now's pretty strong," Judy said, staring at the ceiling. "When did you guys get here?"

"Oh, we can over just as soon as we got the call from the Chief," her mother chimed in. "We heard about the incident on the radio and we're just glad to hear you were alive." Judy smiled.

"Yeah, we're just... _so_ relieved you're OK," her father added. "Which reminds me, Jude, we have something we want to talk to you about." Judy's smile started to fade and she managed to prop herself up to a somewhat sitting position. She could see the forms of her parents, but her eyes still refused to focus on anything.

"What? What are you talking about?" The pause following her question was almost too long for Judy to bear. "Mom, Dad... What is it?"

"We really think you should consider resigning from the force, Jude." Her father spat the sentence out so fast the Judy barely comprehend it. Judy sat dumbfounded, struggling to find the words to answer back.

"But... but, why?" Judy stammered. "I can still do so much good!"

"Yeah, well you can also get yourself killed," her mother answered. "You got lucky today, but what about tomorrow?"

"Mom, I'll survive. I'll always do!" Judy pleaded, her brain racing to comprehend what her parents were saying.

"One of these days you'll go too far, Jude," her father retorted. "I love ya, but you don't know when to quit!"

"Which means I'm not going to quit!" Judy shot back. Before she knew what she was doing, she leapt out of bed. She suddenly realized that her leg didn't hurt. Concerned, she looked down at her leg, only to see no evidence of a gunshot wound. Becoming more confused with every passing second, Judy looked back up to her parents, only to see that she was alone. Looking around, Judy saw that she was not in a hospital room. She didn't seem to be anywhere.

 _What the...?_

Judy retreated back in to the nothing, her brain reeling.

"Nick? Nick!?" Judy shouted, hoping someone was there. She suddenly saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned to face the figure. "Who's there! Show yourself!"

The shadow moved forward and suddenly came into sharp focus. Judy could see the dark, piercing eyes. The dark jacket was covered in what looked like dark red blood. The polished metal on the machine gun in his paws reflected light into Judy's eyes. He was walking toward her.

 _Not possible._

She turned to run in the opposite direction, only to run headlong into the gunman's partner. Judy fell backward, landing flat on her back. She looked back and forth between the two slowly advancing gunmen as she tried to distance herself from them.

"Well, look what we have here," one of the figures balked.

"A puny little bunny," the second figure answered. "Can't even save herself." Judy attempted to duck out of the way of the two towering figures and bolt away from the two assailants, only to feel the pressure of a large foot flatten her to the ground. "How long can you keep this up?"

Judy struggled to escape from the weight of the massive wolf. Suddenly, the pressure lifted and Judy shot away. She skidded to a stop and turned to look at the two gunmen, breathing heavily. The two turn toward her, moving slowly.

"You got lucky today, but how long will your luck last?" a voice came from nowhere.

The two gunmen starting raising their weapons in Judy's direction. She tried to run, but her feet felt like they were encased in concrete. The room started rotating sideways. Her feet slipped and she started sliding toward blackness. She dug her nails into the ground, long streaks appearing as she tried to arrest her fall. The ground then gave way as she fell toward the emptiness.

"You got lucky today, but how long will your luck last?"


	11. Chapter 11

Judy's eyes shot open. She was breathing hard and her fur was damp with a cold sweat. She seemed to be trying to get out of the bed. Nick stood from the chair he was sitting in and rushed over to Judy's bed as fast as his limp could carry him. He placed a paw on Judy's shoulder, trying to calm her down.

"Whoa, Carrots, calm down. Calm down. You're OK, you're in a hospital," Nick pleaded. Judy struggled for several more seconds before she seemed to slowly come to her senses.

"Nick?" Judy asked as her eyes seemed to focus on Nick's face.

"Yeah, I'm right here, Carrots. You just need to rest now," Nick answered while he slowly pushed Judy back onto the bed. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Yeah, but, how long have I been out?" Judy asked while rubbing her eyes. Nick also noted a look of sheer terror drain from her face as well.

"A few hours," Nick replied as he pulled a chair close to the bedside. He dropped his eyes. "Hey, Carrots, I'm sorry." Judy looked at him with a confused expression on her face.

"Sorry for what?" she asked. Nick let out a long sigh.

"You're my partner, Judy. I was told never to leave you, but I did. I'm sorry." Nick said quietly. Judy reached out her paw and took Nick's hand.

"Nick, you didn't leave me. There was nothing either of us could have done," Judy said. Nick lifted his eyes. "Also, you don't look so good."

"What do you expect, Carrots? We were just in a war zone." Nick smiled and let out a small laugh as he brushed bits of glass out of his fur. "The Chief's gonna be a little peeved about the car, though. You should've seen it. Looked more like Swiss Cheese than a car."

"Nick, I was there too. I saw it." Judy responded flatly.

"I know, just..." Nick's voice trailed off. He was about to speak again. A knock suddenly came from the door. Both Nick and Judy flinched and looked up at the door.

"Come in," Judy said. The door slowly opened and Chief Bogo stepped into the room.

"Ah, Chief, we were just talking about you!" Nick said with his usual bravado.

"I'm sure you were, Wilde," Bogo said. He turned his attention to Judy. "Well, Hopps, I just came to check in on you. Are you feeling OK?"

"Just fine," Judy said as she straightened the sheets with her paws. "Given the circumstances." Nick could hear a strange hollowness to her voice. Bogo stepped closer.

"It's actually good that you're here too, Wilde," he began. "After this morning's incident..."

"Well, that's the understatement of the decade," Nick whispered to Judy, who couldn't help but crack a smile. Bogo shot Nick a stern look but continued talking.

"...the ZBI are beginning an investigation to figure out what happened and how to avoid it in the future. All officers involved will be interviewed by detectives in the next few days. Just wanted to give you a heads up. For now, rest. You two earned it." With that Bogo turned and walked out of the room. Nick and Judy sat in silence. He leaned back in his chair.

"Argh, now the fun part begins. A bunch of uppity-ups in nice suits will spend hours scrutinizing decisions we had seconds to make." He leaned forward. "Yep, we're in for a good ol' time." Judy looked Nick in the eye.

"We didn't do anything wrong, Nick," Judy said. "We did everything we were supposed to."

"It only takes one guy to say we didn't do something right and everything falls apart, Carrots," Nick warned. "These guys will _look_ for something wrong. It's like it validates their job or something."

"Well, we're going to tell them what happened," Judy said, "What else can we do?"

"You're right about that, Carrots," Nick said as he stood, wincing slightly at the pain in his leg. "I'm gonna head home and get cleaned up. Get some rest, OK?"

"I will," Judy said.

"I'm sure some nurses will be by soon, also you're parents are on their way. They'll be here in a few hours," Nick said as he left the room. He couldn't help but notice a subtle change in Judy's expression when he mentioned her parents. Nick strolled into the hallway and started making his way toward the exit. He saw Chief Bogo in the hall ahead of him.

"Hey, Chief, do we have any update on the condition of the suspect?" Bogo looked up from a file he was reading.

"Not the time, Wilde," Bogo answered, looking back at the file. "We have multiple officers in the hospital and I'm getting swarmed with calls from the mayor's office just wanting to know what in the world happened this morning." Bogo pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Just go home, Nick. Rest."

Nick nodded and walked down the hall and out the door to the parking lot. It wasn't until he was standing in the parking lot he realized a major problem: he didn't have a car. He reached for the phone in his pocket to call someone who could give him a ride when he felt the shattered screen.

 _Oh, great._

Nick pulled the phone from his pocket. It was so cracked and bent that Nick was shocked he hadn't felt it earlier. As he inspected his destroyed phone, Nick noticed a dark stain on the metal.

 _Lead._

Lead from a bullet that nearly struck him square in the hip, only to be seemingly deflected at the last second by his phone. Nick looked down and noticed the small entry and exits holes torn through his pocket by the bullet.

"Well, we're a luck one today, aren't we?"

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you so much for one hundred followers. Knowing people like the story make it worth writing!


	12. Chapter 12

Judy checked the clock once again for the third time in as many minutes. The ZBI Detective was due to show up any second, but seemed to be running a little late. She tapped her paws against the bed, waiting.

She wished she could just forget the whole thing, to put yesterday in a box and forget it ever happened. She wanted to wake up today in her apartment and go back to work just like any other day. Instead, she was going to be stuck in the hospital for the rest of the week and was going to be questioned by detectives.

A soft knock startled Judy. She looked up to see the door slowly opening and a black panther walk into the room. He was dressed in a tan suit and carried several folders in his left paw.

"Ms. Hopps, am I interrupting anything?" He asked. Judy glanced around the empty room.

"Not necessarily," Judy replied. The panther nodded and stepped closer into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Ah, well, then allow me to introduce myself. I am Detective Leo Rankin with the ZBI," he said as he held up his badge. "I would like to ask you some questions about yesterday's incident." Rankin pulled up one of the chairs near the door and dragged a small table to the bedside. He sat down and pulled a recorder from the pocket of his jacket and clicked the record button.

"OK, for the record, please state your name and occupation," Rankin said as he placed the recorder on the table. Judy took a deep breath before answering.

"Judy Hopps. I am an officer with the Zootopia Police Department," Judy answered with as much calmness as she could muster.

"Now, have you been briefed on who exactly these two men were?" Judy shook her head.

"No, sorry, I've been in here ever since... everything happened," she explained. Rankin placed one of the folders on the table, pulling out two mugshots in the process.

"That's Max Curry and that's Matt Wolfe," Rankin said pointing at each picture. "They were a couple of low-level con men. But early last year they decided they wanted to graduate to the big leagues." Judy looked over the two photographs while Rankin pulled more photos from the folder. Judy could tell they were stills from a security camera. Despite the graininess of the images, Judy could still recognize the two wolves storming the bank and threatening customers.

"We had been looking for these to for some time actually," Rankin continued. "They had successfully robbed a few armored cars and put a few good animals in the hospital. We almost had them before, but then they disappeared for few months. Now Mr. Curry is in the morgue and Mr. Wolfe is in a coma and is unlikely to survive the night. It is my job to find out how they got there." Judy felt a tremble start to form in her paws. She started rubbing her hands together.

"Now, can you please walk me through your day yesterday?"

Over the course of the next hour, Judy talked through every detail she could remember, from the time she woke up to last seconds she was conscious on the operating table. From time to time, Rankin would find some photo and ask if it pertained to what Judy was talking about and if Judy could elaborate on what was depicted in the photos.

After Judy told her story. Rankin leaned back in his chair, thinking for a long while.

"So, what steps did you and your partner," Rankin checked one his file, "Officer Wilde, take to secure the scene."

"I told you," Judy said, starting to get confused. "We called for backup and started trying to get civilians out of the area. There was no way we could've known that they would come out guns blazing."

"You recall hearing automatic gunfire from inside inside the bank," Rankin said. "That didn't strike you as odd? That type of firepower for a bank heist is unheard of, yet you failed to mention that to officers responding to the scene." Rankin looked Judy square in the eyes. "Why is that?"

"It's procedure to put out a shots fired call. I did that." Judy could feel herself becoming defensive. "We don't have special procedures for this type of situation, Detective, we don't experience this on an everyday basis."

"Do you think it would have helped the situation if the other officers knew what type of firepower they were up against?" Rankin asked.

"To be honest, Detective, these two guys," Judy began while pointing at the mugshots of the two gunmen, "They went into that bank expecting a firefight. How else do explain why they wore body armor into a bank." Judy tried to stop herself but the words kept coming. "They were expecting us. No warning any of us could have given would have stopped this. They had more firepower than all of us combined."

Judy was about to continue when a phone started vibrating in Rankin's pocket. He held up a finger as he reached for the phone. He answered and held it up to his ear.

"Detective Rankin... Yes... Yes... How long? I'll be right there!" Rankin suddenly stood and started collecting his files before grabbing the recorder. "I think that's all I'll need. Have a good day Ms. Hopps." With that, he left.

 _What was that all about?_


	13. Chapter 13

Nick slowly woke up. He jolted out of bed when he registered just how late in the day it really was, his half-asleep brain yelling at him that he would be late for work. It wasn't until he was already standing before he remembered that he didn't have work today. He didn't really have work for the rest of the week. The doctor had advised that Nick avoid any strenuous activity until the stitches were removed, so Nick and many of the injured officers were given medical leave to recover.

Throwing on his most comfortable shirt, a green Hawaiian styled one, Nick sat down in a small chair in the corner of his meager apartment. He had a small television set up nearby as well as a small table.

 _Well, now what?_

Nick sat alone in the room for several minutes. He thought about calling Judy, but his phone was busted and she was going to be interviewed by ZBI detectives today, so he wouldn't want to intrude on that. While he thought about his phone, he reached over to the table and picked up the mangled piece of metal and glass. If he had just been standing a few inches in either direction, he would've probably bled out before help could've gotten to him.

Realizing his thoughts were starting to run away again, Nick quickly set the phone down and picked up the remote from the table at clicked the TV on. He had forgotten that it was already set to a news station and his eyes were greeted by images of yesterday's events.

"Well, that just figures, doesn't it?" Nick said to no one in particular. He knew he would probably need to avoid all news stations for the next month, maybe two. After the Night-Howler Case, Nick had become annoyed with the non-stop news coverage after two days and had to avoid TV for the next three months.

He was about to turn the TV to another channel when curiosity get the better of him; he continued watching. Nick had noticed the faint sound of helicopters overhead during the quieter moments of the shootout, but admittedly had given it little thought. He watched the events unfold once again, this time from a bird's-eye view with a running commentary from the news anchor.

"Here you can see one of the gunmen..." the anchor was saying over an image of one of the two gunmen. Nick recognized the figure as first suspect to leave the bank. "He's firing his weapon here."

"Wow... A+ journalism right there," Nick said sarcastically as he reached for a bag of chips.

"He is firing at police officers now," the anchor continued as the camera zoomed out to reveal several police car across the street. Nick leaned forward when he recognized his and Judy's car. He could just make out movement behind the car. His own movement.

"Now in this shot you can see both gunmen. Look at their uniforms. This... This is what makes me think they had military training."

"Oh, they get separated and kill themselves. Real Seal Team Six types right there," Nick added.

"Now this is one of the most astonishing things I have ever seen working as a reporter." Nick perked up and focused on the screen. "You'll notice in the bottom right of your screen is a police car, its windows blown out." Nick saw his car and could see himself and Judy moving behind the car. He saw Judy preparing to run.

 _I don't want to watch this._

Still, Nick couldn't look away. He saw Judy bolt from cover. At the same time, he saw himself jerk and scramble back to cover. Judy continued to run.

 _You still have time. Look away now._

Still, his eyes stayed glued to the screen. He watched as Judy was shot.

"Now that, and I may be wrong about this, that appears to Officer Judy Hopps, who solved the famous Night-Howler Case last year," the anchor explained. "She was trying to get close to the suspects, maybe to get a clear shot, we don't know. Either way, as you saw she was hit and our sources say she is currently recovering. In total, ten officers of the ZPD were injured."

"Twelve, but who's counting?" Nick said to his TV.

"Now here you can see the two gunmen split up and one continues in the car and one takes cover behind a parked car. Now in the coming seconds he tries to engage officers and his machine gun is gone, either a malfunction or he ran out of bullets," the anchor continued. "And here he starts walking toward officers."

 _Turn it off. Turn it off now._

This time his arm responded and he managed to shut the TV off before he saw anything else. Nick suddenly noticed he was breathing heavily. He set the remote down and sat in silence, feeling the pounding of own heartbeat. He leaned forward and placed his head in his paws, trying to calm down.

"Get it together, Nick. Get it together."


	14. Chapter 14

Judy sat up in bed. Detective Rankin had left several hours ago and Judy was starting to become restless. There simply wasn't anything to actually do in a hospital, especially when walking was out of the question. She wanted to avoid watching the television; she knew exactly what she would see there.

 _Well, maybe as long as I avoid the news stations._

Judy strained to reach the remote that was situated on the nightstand, just out of reach. She had just grabbed it when another soft knock came from the door.

"Come in!" Judy said. She saw Chief Bogo's face peek through the door. He entered the room followed closely by a diminutive nurse. It took Judy a second, but she recognized Penny, this time dressed in blue nurse scrubs. She was pushing a wheelchair.

"Feeling any better today, Officer Hopps?" Bogo said. Judy could tell by the way he spoke that he was stalling. There was something he needed to say but it was something he obviously didn't want to say.

"A little better, sir," Judy said, setting the remote back down on the nightstand. "What's the matter?" Bogo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm going to ask you to do something and you have every right to refuse," Bogo replied. Judy could still sense him stalling. The large buffalo pulled up a chair and sat down. "There's no easy way to say this, but the suspect want to talk to you."

Judy sat in stunned silence for several seconds. Why? Why did that monster want to talk to her? She could feel anger start to boil inside her.

"I thought he was in a coma?" Judy asked.

"He was," Bogo responded. "He woke up a few hours ago but is refusing to answer any questions unless you're present." Judy's hands curled up in fists and Bogo noticed. "Like I said, you don't have to go."

"No," Judy answered calmly. "I'll go. If it's the only way he'll talk, I'll do it."

"OK," was all Bogo said in response. Penny pulled the wheelchair close to the bed and helped Judy slide out of the bed and into the chair. The trio then moved into the hall and began walking toward the suspect's recovery room. The door was guarded by two officers and numerous reporters were standing nearby. They turned their cameras toward Judy as soon as she approached. Bogo and another officer placed themselves between Judy and the reporters.

"No questions, no questions," Bogo in a stern, loud voice. It was enough get most of the reporters to stop talking. Penny wheeled Judy into the dimly lit room. Detective Rankin was there, as was another officer and a female lion in a black business suit who Judy assumed must be his lawyer. Between them, hands and feet handcuffed to the bed, was the suspect, Matt Wolfe. The room was silent save for the intermediate, rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor. Judy could tell it was slow.

Wolfe shifted his gaze to Judy as she entered. Judy felt a cold shiver travel up her spine when their eyes locked. The officer moved out of the way as Judy was wheeled up to the bed.

"Why me?" Judy said before she even realized she was talking.

"I saw you," Wolfe responded, his voice was weak and raspy. "You were there."

"Yeah, and so were you," Judy felt the anger coming back. "You were trying to kill me." The lion suddenly put up her paw.

"If you could, please stop addressing my client in that tone." Judy shot the lion a stern look, but then she realized the lawyer probably was a state appointed attorney. She would have to defend this guy no matter what he did. Judy bit her lip and took a deep breath.

"Why did you want me to be here?" Judy said in a calmer voice. Wolfe suddenly turned his attention toward Detective Rankin.

"I'll talk now," he said weakly. Rankin pulled out a notepad and began writing.

"What were you doing yesterday at 9:30 AM?" the panther asked. Wolfe let out small cough. Judy noticed a slight crimson stain coat the wolf's teeth.

"I was just doing what he told me to do," the wolf said.

"And by 'he', you're referring to...?" Rankin continued.

"Max..." Judy could tell his voice was getting weaker. He was starting to cough more. His body was starting to twitch in weird ways.

"I think that's enough questions for now," his lawyer said as she stood. The heart monitor started beeping more rapidly. Penny rushed over to Wolfe's IV bag and called through the intercom located nearby.

"We need sedatives in room three." Judy stared at Wolfe, whose breathing was becoming ragged. He looked back at her. More nurses and a doctor started to pour into the room. Bogo came in and started to wheel Judy out of the room. She could see Wolfe's lips moving, but in the commotion could only make out one word.

"...sorry..."


	15. Chapter 15

Nick headed toward City Hall. He walked with as much pride as he could muster as he strode up the main steps in his brand new uniform. He carried his old, torn, bloodied uniform, neatly folded, in a case tucked under his left arm. Today was the official press conference regarding the robbery one week ago.

Apparently the ZBI considered it a pretty open-and-shut case, so their findings were now ready to presented. Due to how public the whole ordeal was, the ZBI and ZPD pulled out all the stops with presentation. Display tables were being set up with evidence collected from the scene, such as the gunmens' weapons, some of their clothing and body armor, and the ink-stained duffle bag that once held hundreds of thousands of dollars. Nick had offered to supply his old uniform as part of the presentation.

He walked into the lobby of the building. He was greeted by Officer Clawhauser who was dragging a folding table into place near the stage. Other officers were moving boxes of evidence to and fro, getting ready for the coming conference.

"Well, hello, Officer Wilde!" Nick couldn't help but crack a smile around Clawhauser's optimistic personality. "It's been a while. Good to see you back in uniform!"

"It's good to be back, Ben. Kinda missed the feeling of the old uniform," Nick replied. "Well, not _this_ old uniform, obviously," he added, holding up the dirty uniform in his hands.

"Well, you've always looked great in it!" Clawhauser said as he started setting the table up. Nick set his uniform down on the table.

"Need any help setting stuff up?" Nick asked.

"Sure, if you can go get that box over there, we can set up this table," Clawhauser said, pointing to a plastic crate positioned several yards away. Nick walked over and tried to pick it up, only to discover that it was heavier than it looked. After seconds of trying, he resorted to simply dragging the box over to Clawhauser.

"What is in this thing, an anvil?" he asked. Before Clawhauser could answer, he already opened it. A set of polished machine guns greeted him. He pulled out one of the weapons and examined them for the first time. The heavy metal firearm was a bit large for his paws, but it was still so surreal to actually hold the thing. While it had been cleaned, he could still see the dings and scratches that were permanently etched into the metal.

He set the gun down on the table and reached for the second one. As he did, he noticed the yellow evidence tag wired to the barrel.

 _Name booked to: Curry, Matt._

"He nearly shot me this thing," Nick said as he placed the second weapon on the table.

"I think he did shoot you with that thing, Nick," Clawhauser answered.

"Oh, not like that. I got really close to him. I shot at him. I missed. I ran and I should have been shot in the back, but he ran out of ammo," Nick explained.

"Oh, he didn't run out of bullets," Clawhauser said. Nick looked at him questioningly. "The magazine on that rifle was recovered with nearly twenty rounds still in it," he continued.

"Really?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, and look at this," Clawhauser said as he turned the weapon to the other side. "The gun was hit by a bullet. Jammed up the mechanism." Nick stared at the weapon in disbelief.

"Wow, I dodged a bullet," he said. Clawhauser looked at him, unsure if it was a joke or not. Nick looked up at him. "Literally," he added with a smile. The two shared a short laugh as Nick unloaded the rest of the gunmens' arsenal onto the table: three machine guns and two pistols in total. Clawhauser set the weapons on their stands with little plaques explaining what each item was.

Once they were done, Nick walked through the other tables. He looked at the masks the two suspects wore. They were so familiar, as if they were etched into his brain. It was still so strange to see them up close and in such a non-threatening environment. Clawhauser stepped up behind him.

"It's so weird, isn't it?" he asked.

"You're telling me, Clawhauser. You're telling me," Nick nodded in response.

"I wonder what Judy will say when she gets here," Clawhauser said. Nick looked away from the mask and looked at the cheetah with surprise.

"She's gonna be here?" he asked. "She's out of the hospital?"

"Oh, yeah," Clawhauser answered. "She got out today, if I heard right. Didn't you visit her?" Nick looked down at his shoes.

"No, not really. Not after that day," he said in a slightly quieter voice. "I was... busy."

"Oh, well you'll get to see her soon," Clawhauser continued, seemingly oblivious to Nick's change in tone. "The conference is starting in a hour and she'll be here before that."

The next hour felt like an eternity. Nick constantly checked the door, waiting to see that familiar gray bunny walk through, all the while engaging with small talk with the other officers. He was talking to Officer Fangmeyer when he heard the door swing open yet again. Nick's eyes darted over. He saw a pig with a camera hung around it's neck holding the door open for someone.

Nick tried to act interested in Fangmeyer's story while keeping his attention on the door. He then heard the light tapping of crutches approaching the door.

"Hey, buddy, great story, but I gotta go," Nick quickly, starting to move toward the door.

"OK, we'll talk later!" Fangmeyer called after him. Nick turned back around walked backwards as he spoke.

"You bet on it!" Nicked called back. He turned back to the door and saw Judy walking through, walking on her crutches.

"Carrots!" Nick shouted, throwing his arms apart to wrap her an embrace. Judy returned the gesture as best she could while staying upright on the crutches.

"Nick!" she answered. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you on your feet again," Nick said. Ne noted the crutches. "Well mostly on your feet." Judy's face suddenly turned more serious.

"I tried to call you," she said

"Sorry, my phone was broken," Nick replied, putting his hands in his pockets. Reporters started to file into the hall in droves. It was time for the conference.


	16. Chapter 16

Judy stood on the stage with the other officers who were injured during the firefight. A mass of reporters stood in front of them. She shifted her weight and tried to look as comfortable as possible as the flashes of the cameras nearly blinded her, leaving little dark spots in her vision.

Chief Bogo and Detective Rankin took to the stage and walked up to the podium. Bogo held up his hand to silence the crowd as Rankin began the presentation. Judy and the other officers sat as Rankin described the other crimes the duo of gunmen were accused of committing. A total of three unsolved heists had been linked to Wolfe and Curry due to the weapons and tactics used.

He next moved to discussing the events of the robbery itself. Rankin played a clip from the bank's security cameras, showing Curry and Wolfe causally walking into the bank and unloading their weapons into the ceiling. Customers scrambled to get on the ground as the two barked orders at the tellers. All the while, audio from the police transmission played.

"This is Officers Hopps and Wilde, requesting assistance. We have a possible 2-11 in progress at the First National Tundra Bank," Judy could heard her voice saying, distorted and covered in static. "We have shots fired!" Rankin continued explaining how Wolfe moved to the vault and ordered the bank manager to fill the duffle bag they had brought with money.

Curry, however, stayed in the lobby, acting as a type of crowd control. At one point in the clip, he noticed something out the front door and went to investigate. Judy knew exactly what he noticed: a black and white police car. Once again, Rankin played a segment of Judy's commentary.

"Be advised, the suspects know we are here. I am requesting SWAT for a possible hostage situation." Judy wanted to reprimand her past self for being so naive, but how was she supposed to know what was coming next? She looked back at the screen behind Bogo and Rankin.

More security footage from inside the bank was playing. Curry calmly walked into the bank and started pacing back and forth quickly. His movement became more rapid and his gaze kept shifting between the door and his weapon. Judy hadn't seen that footage before.

 _He was psyching himself up._

Judy watched as Curry seemed to make up his mind walk toward the door. As he left the frame, the audio from Judy's call once again played.

"Shots fired! Shots fired! Officer needs help!" Judy could hear the sound of fully automatic gunfire in the background. She looked over to Nick, only to become slightly concerned at her partner's expression. He was looking down into his lap, and while his expression would be enough to fool most in the audience, Judy knew him well enough by now to know he was hiding something.

Throughout the remainder of the presentation, Judy kept her eye on Nick. He barely moved a muscle, which was strange for him to say the least. He was normally one of the most fidgety officers in the precinct when it came to meetings. Even through the small ceremony praising the first responders, a smile only slightly cracked on his face: another rarity.

 _What's wrong, Nick?_

After the conference, most of the officers filed out the back to avoid the myriad of reporters and their incessant questions. Judy and Nick were no exception. Judy hobbled along on her crutches with Nick walking alongside. Judy waited until they were out of earshot of the other officers when she turned to Nick and blocked his path. Nick looked at her with a confused expression on her face.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Nick, what's wrong?" Judy asked back in a compassionate tone.

"What do you think?" Nick shot back in a harsh tone that surprised Judy. "We almost died last week. _You_ almost died last week, just because two wack jobs wanted some more money."

"They weren't wack jobs, Nick," Judy replied, thinking of Wolfe lying in a coma. "They were... misguided."

"You know one of the things I like most about you?" Nick asked with a much calmer tone. Judy was taken aback.

"No... What?"

"You see the best in people," Nick answered. "You saw the best in me even when I didn't. And..." Nick stopped. Judy could tell the fox was holding back tears. "Without you, I would still be hustling popsicles on the street. Seeing you in that hospital, seeing you on those crutches..." Nick stopped to compose himself again. "Every time I see them, I'm reminded of how close I came to losing the person who means the most to me in the whole world."

"But you _didn't_ lose me, Nick," Judy answer reaching out her hand and taking Nick's paw. "I'm still here."

"I know, but... Argh..." With a sigh, Nick sat down on the curb. "I know I shouldn't let this get to me, but it does, Judy. I can't get those images out of my head. I can barely sleep." With a little struggle, Judy sat down beside Nick, putting her paw on his shoulder.

"Nick, look at me," she said in a firm but calm tone. Nick turned to look at her. "I get those nightmares too."

"For the record, though," Nick replied. "Those guys were wack jobs."


End file.
